


In Loving Memory

by Belanna



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-08
Updated: 2013-01-08
Packaged: 2017-11-24 03:57:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/630131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Belanna/pseuds/Belanna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shepard and Garrus to go Normandy's Crash Site to pick up their fallen comrades dog tags and remembering them...</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Loving Memory

In loving memory  
By Belanna 2012  
Rated PG-13

***

Commander Kate Shepard always enjoyed reading her messages that she received during her time onboard the Normandy SR-2, but this particular message from Admiral Hackett made her very uneasy. It has been two weeks since she received the message and she still didn’t have the courage to do anything about it. She didn’t want to go there alone, to be reminded of who died in the horrible loss of the Normandy SR-1.

A knock from her door made Shepard turn from her chair, “Come.”

Garrus Vakarian entered with a smile. 

“Shepard, I was…” he trailed off when he saw the uneasy look on Shepard’s face. “What’s wrong?” he asked, as he quickly went to her.

“Nothing it’s just…” she bit her lip. “Here, read this.”

Garrus grabbed the offered pad from Shepard and read the message.

_From: Admiral Hackett  
Commander Shepard:_

_Our scans in the Amada system have turned up something we thought you should see: the final location of the wreckage of the SSV Normandy._

_We thought this news might be important to you, but we also have an ulterior motive. The Alliance would like to honor the Normandy with a monument, to be built on the site of the ship's final resting place. We'd like to invite you to place the monument and be the first to walk on the site._

_There are still 20 crew members unaccounted for from the attack on the Normandy. If you find any signs of these lost crewmen, we ask that you report to the Alliance so that those heroes' families might find some closure._

_Godspeed to you, Commander._

Garrus looked up noticing Shepard had her elbow on the desk, her hand on her forehead. 

“You haven’t gone there yet, have you?” he asked gravely.

“I know this sounds odd coming from the one that destroyed a reaper, but… I just haven’t had the courage to go,” she said quietly. 

“Hey, it’s okay.” The turian smiled placing the pad on her desk; grabbed her hand and gently squeezed it. “I’ll go with you.”

“What?” she blinked, looking at him skeptically.

“We can pick up the monument at the Citadel, and then you and I can go and honor the crew together.”

Kate Shepard smiled at her best friend. “That would be wonderful, Garrus. Thank you,” she said gratefully.

“They were my friends too, and we need to go bring peace to them and their spirits.”

Shepard grinned as she pushed the comm button from her computer. “Joker, set a course for the Citadel.”

“Aye, Commander.”

 

Alchera was cold, beautiful, and eerie all at the same time. The aurora colors of blue, green, and pink danced in the starry sky. As the shuttle landed on the frozen wasteland of Alchera, Shepard could feel her body shake. She was glad Garrus was here with her, for she wouldn’t have been able to do this by herself. Garrus was the first one out, handling the mechanical device that was slowly carrying the huge monument of the Normandy SR-1. After a few moments of deep breaths, she finally took the first step onto Normandy’s grave.

“You think this is a good spot for it?” Garrus asked her as he stopped the mech device.

“Actually, a little more to the left,” Shepard smiled, wanting the monument to be aligned with the M and the A that was shown on the damaged bulkhead. “There, that’s perfect.”

Garrus nodded and then unhooked the memorial. Then carefully brought the mech back to the shuttle, leaving Shepard to stare at the beautiful monument. It was quite large, almost 15 feet tall. The base was round, with a horn like shape on top of it. A Normandy statue was mounted above that, and it looked like she was flying proudly through the sky. Normandy would have been proud, Shepard thought. She was a beautiful ship, with a beautiful crew. Shepard felt Garrus’s hand on her shoulder, and they both said nothing as they stayed silent for a moment to honor their fallen family.

After a few moments of silence, Shepard turned to Garrus, “Well, shall we go explore?”

“Of course, you lead the way.”

Shepard nodded, but before she turned around, she saw something sparkling in the snow right next to the bulkhead. She carefully walked up to it and picked it up. It was a dog tag.

“Abhishek Pakti,” she whispered the name, “he was an engineer.”

Garrus walked up to her and looked at the silver dog tag. “He was a ladies man too, if I recall.”

“I don’t remember much about him, I never really got to talk to the engineers much, except Adams.”

Garrus thought for a moment, “Ash liked him; said he had a cute ass.”

Shepard laughed, “That would be Ashley for sure.”

“Abhishek was born and raised on Earth. I remember him talking to Kaidan about India. I believe that is where he was from.”

Shepard smiled as she looked down at the tag, “Rest in peace, Abhishek Pakti.” 

Then she placed his tag in a leather bag.

“Do you want to head east or north?” Garrus asked her.

“Let’s head east and make our way around back to the shuttle.”

Garrus nodded as he followed Shepard closely, thankful that he was here with her through this difficult time.

 

It wasn’t too long before Shepard bent down and picked up another dog tag. “Rosamund Draven. She had a twin sister, Talitha.”

“I remember Rosa, she was the quiet one,” Garrus hummed at the memory.

Shepard nodded, “She was very shy and worked in navigation I believe.”

“Blond hair, green eyes, loved horses and her face always turned the shade of pink every time Gyle Estell talked to her.”  
Shepard placed the tag in the bag, “Rest in peace, Rosamund Draven.”

Shepard and Garrus made their way through the snow until they came across the wreckage of what looked like the hallway to the bridge.

“This is the last place I really remember being at before I got spaced.” Shepard said quietly. 

“Do you want to go in?” Garrus asked

“I have to get some closure. This is the best way to do it, right?” she asked, looking to him for reassurance.

Garrus nodded and then followed Shepard into the damaged ramp way. Shepard then quietly made her way through the area, looking at all the damage and destruction. When she reached the cockpit, she ran her hand over Joker’s old chair.

“I’m glad he survived,” she finally said.

“He still blames himself for not leaving when ordered.”

“I know he does, but it’s not his fault. He loved this ship more than I did. He wanted to save her,” she said thickly; her voice on the edge of tears.

“I found another dog tag,” Garrus said as he picked up the silver medallion near his foot. “Talitha Draven.”

Shepard sighed as she leaned up against Joker’s old chair, “I saw Talitha’s body as I came to get Joker,” the vision of the woman was welded into Shepard’s brain, “She was an amazing communication specialist.”

“And unlike her sister, she was very outgoing. If I remember correctly, she loved to pull pranks on Presley,” Garrus chuckled.

“She also had a daughter, but I forget her name.” Shepard hated that she couldn’t remember.

Garrus ran his talons over the silver metal. “May the Spirits bring you peace, Talitha,” he whispered as he placed the tag into the open bag Shepard was holding.

After a few moments of looking over the cockpit of the Normandy, they departed the wreckage. Something caught Shepard’s eye right away and walked carefully to the dog tag that was shining in the snow. 

“Caroline Grenado,” she said, reading the engraved metal.

“I found another one here too, Shepard,” Garrus called from a few feet away. He walked up to her and showed her the tag. “Mandira Rahman.”

“Mandi,” Shepard let out a soft sob as she gently grabbed the tag from Garrus, “Sweet Mandi.”

“I knew you two were close. I’m sorry, Kate.”

Shepard hated the fact that she couldn’t wipe away the tears that were falling. Damn the helmet! 

“We went to the academy school together. She was the most beautiful and amazing person I’ve ever met, Garrus. She was kind, thoughtful, and always helped anyone who needed it, never asking for anything back. She stood by me when I got in trouble during my junior year.”

“How did she get onboard the Normandy with you?”

“I asked Anderson,” Shepard explained, “She was a great navigator, smart as hell, and never did anything half assed. She always did her job well and right.”

“I remember her giving me a hard time about my work on the Mako.”

“She loved teasing you, Garrus,” Shepard then smiled as she placed Mandira’s dog tag around her neck, “Rest in peace, Mandi. I love you, and will never forget you.”

Shepard then carefully looked at the other dog tag that was dangling from her index finger, “Caroline.”

“I’m sorry to say that I never knew Lieutenant Grenado. She was always with Chakwas helping with medical records,” Garrus grumbled, “and you know me and Doctors.”

Shepard frowned. “I don’t know much about her either,” Shepard thought for a moment. “I remember Karin telling me that Carol adored Liara. She would always go in to talk to her.”

“Well, Liara does have away with people,” Garrus half joked

Shepard smiled and rubbed the tag with her fingers. “I wish I could remember more about her.”

“I know me too,” he sighed.

Shepard placed Caroline’s tag in the bag, “Rest now, Caroline. I hope you found some peace.”

 

After a few moments of collecting herself, Shepard continued her way across the wreckage of Normandy. It was just a few minutes before she came across another tag; picking it up, she read the name, “Carlton Tucks.”

“Carl, now that was a man you didn’t want to play poker with.”

Shepard turned and gave Garrus an odd look, “Poker?”

“Yes, believe it or not, I did play poker back on the Normandy. Mr. Tucks knew how to play rather well.”

“Carlton was an Engineer, so I didn’t get to know him very well.”

“Well,” Garrus said as he began to pace, “he was great at his job. Tali liked him, had a small crush on him I believe, but you didn’t hear that from me. He and his brother were raised on Eden Prime. They both left there to join the Alliance. I think his brother is still alive and working on a starship somewhere.”

Shepard handed Garrus Carlton’s dog tag. “You should say something to honor him, Garrus. You knew him better.”

Garrus nodded as he looked down at the tags, “I hope you are winning big, Carlton. When my time comes, I’ll meet you at the bar… I’m buying.”

Shepard smiled as Garrus placed Ensign Tuck’s dog tag into the bag. Shepard wrapped her arm around Garrus and he looked at her with surprise. 

“Thank you for coming with me; I couldn’t have done this without you,” she said softly, looking up at him.

Garrus reached up and squeezed her arm gently, “That’s what friends are for.”

After a few minutes of exploration, they came across two more dog tags.

“Jamin Bakari,” Shepard said as she picked up the tag. “He was a navigation officer.”

“He loved Scifi films. He threw a party in the officer’s mess while you, Wrex, and Tali were on Feros. But it was cut short when the colonists started acting like mutant zombies.”

“Wait what?”

Garrus nodded. “You didn’t hear?”

“No, I’m surprised Joker kept quiet about this.”

“Because we all knew you probably would have thrown us all out the airlock if you did,” he smirked.

“I would not!” Shepard protested, “I would have totally joined you guys. What movie was it?”

“Jamin said we had to watch the Earth classic called Alien.”

“Never seen it, although I heard the aliens were pretty scary.”

“They kinda reminded me of the Rachni in a way,” Garrus mused.

“Maybe it was a good thing I missed it then.” The thought of the space bugs brought shivers down Shepard’s spine. Even though she did save the Rachni Queen, they still freaked her out.

“Jamin loved to watch anything that had to do with aliens. Hell, I think he even had a small crush on Liara, but then again, who doesn’t have a small crush on an asari?”

Shepard placed the tag into the bag. “Rest in Peace Jamin. I hope you’re enjoying a great movie.”

Garrus then read off the other name, “Amina Waaberi.”

“She was born and raised on Earth,” Shepard remembered.

“Amina, yes… I remember her and Ash having a little catfight in the messhall.”

“Amina always gave her opinion, no matter if you wanted it or not. If she thought it was needed to be said, she said it.”

“That’s why she was single; the men were scared of her,” Garrus pointed out.

Shepard laughed. “She was such a heroic woman, a great soldier. She and Ash did butt heads a lot, but that’s because they were so alike.”

“I’m sure her and Ash are looking down on us right now with a smile.”

Shepard looked up at the dancing aurora, “I’m sure they are.”

Garrus said a silent prayer to Ensign Amina Waaberi, and then placed the dog tag into the leather bag.

“Let’s head up to the wreckage over there,” Shepard pointed. “I think it’s the old CIC.”

“Alright,” Garrus nodded as he followed Shepard up the small frozen hill. As they reached the top, they stayed silent for a moment, looking at the damage.

“A lot of memories here,” Shepard finally said.

“You were a great commander,” Garrus stated as he placed his hand on her back. “You made some tough choices standing in that spot. Kinda glad I didn’t have to.”

Shepard sighed and then began to look around the area. She noticed a data pad jammed into one of the bulkheads and she carefully pulled it out. As she read it, tears began to spill down her cheeks, “Oh Garrus, look at this.”

_Personal Journal: Navigator Charles Presley_  
Entry 1:  
I haven’t spoken to Commander Shepard about this. I can’t believe all these damn aliens are onboard the Alliance’s most advanced ship. I just don’t trust them. Especially that damned asari. And a quarian!! What does Shepard think this is, a zoo?  
Entry 2:  
I have been talking with the quarian. It seems she is on some kind of pilgrimage, trying to improve the lot of her home ship. I can understand that. I wouldn’t let her babysit my children or anything, but if she has to be onboard, I suppose it’s not too bad.  
Entry 3:  
I haven’t written for a while now, and I’m taking a look back at past entries in this journal. I can’t believe how blind I was at the time. I came on this ship firmly believing humanity was on its own in the galaxy. Commander Shepard brought all these aliens onboard, and there’s no way we could have accomplished what we did without them. I am proud to say that I would die for any member of this crew, regardless of what world they were born on. 

Garrus stayed silent for a moment, letting the words of Normandy’s XO sink in. 

“He was an amazing person, and a great friend.”

“He really didn’t trust you at first. I knew it, but never said anything. Tali really got to know him, I know they became close,” she replied quietly.

“Presley bought me and Wrex a drink when we were docked on the Citadel once.”

“Wait, Charles actually left the Normandy?” 

Garrus burst out laughing, “Believe it or not, yes. He was fun to hang out with most of the time, once you got to know him.”

Shepard looked at the sparkling trinket that was lying in the snow and picked it up. “His dog tag.”

“He will be remembered forever, Shepard.”

Shepard gently pressed the dog tag to her forehead (if she’s wearing a helmet, you might want to re-word this). “I miss you my friend. I hope you found some peace.”

As Shepard placed Presley’s dog tag into the bag, Garrus picked up a sparkling item that was just underneath the old CIC galaxy map. 

“Another tag; Addison Chase,” he read.

“Addison,” Shepard said with another sigh, “One of the youngest officers onboard Normandy. She was only twenty one, fresh out of the academy.”

“I remember her telling me that when we got done defeating Saren, she was going to go back to Eden Prime to help the colonists.”

“Yeah, but she changed her mind after she knew the threat of the reapers was actually real. She really wanted to help take them down. But instead of that we got stuck patrolling stupid geth outposts,” Shepard ground  
out suddenly getting angry. “Why the hell would you take the Alliance’s most advanced ship and search for geth!? Why weren’t we preparing for the reapers, why weren’t we…”

“Hey, hey…” Garrus brought her in for a hug.

“She was only a baby, Garrus,” Shepard sobbed softly.

“I know, I know, she had her whole life ahead of her. But we will find the bastards that did this to her and to everyone else on the Normandy, and they will pay.”

Shepard’s body began to shake with the sadness she couldn’t cry and as she clung to Garrus as if he was a lifeline. It was only a few moments before she collected herself and stepped back from him. 

“Thank you,” she whispered, still sniffling. 

“You’re welcome.”

“Come on, we’ve got some more searching to do,” she said, wishing she was as strong as her voice sounded.

Garrus nodded a little worried that this was too much for Shepard. He had wished Tali, Liara, and Wrex were here to help her though this. Before Horizon, he would have said Kaidan, but that dumbass of a human accused Shepard of being a traitor. Luckily for Kaidan, Kasumi was there to stop Garrus from punching the smug asshole in the face. (I like this paragraph)

“I see something over here!” Shepard called, pulling Garrus out of his thoughts. “Oh Garrus, it’s my helmet!!”

Garrus walked over to and knelt down with Shepard. She picked up the helmet and turned it in her hands; examining it, “I’m surprised it’s still intact.”

“Where are my dog tags, do you see them?” she asked glancing around the nearby snow for a shiny hint of them.

Garrus got up and looked around the remote area but shook his head. “I’m sorry, Kate. Maybe Cerberus has them.”

Shepard frowned as she looked at her helmet, running her fingers across the scorched cracked glass. “I remember putting this thing on, yelling to Kaidan to help the crew evacuate.”

“I wished I was there to help you.”

“I’m glad you weren’t. I couldn’t think of losing you,” Shepard smiled sadly as she got up.

“I never would leave you. Here, let me carry that,” Garrus offered as he gently took the helmet from her. “You already have a pretty heavy burden to carry right now.”

Shepard ran her hand over his forearm. “Thank you, shall we continue?”

Garrus nodded and was surprised as Shepard grabbed his hand and gently made their way off the snowy hill down to where the Mako was perched on a mound.

“The Mako, where I spent most of the time repairing it from your crazy driving techniques,” he grumbled.

“Hey!” Shepard laughed. “I enjoyed driving that thing.”

“I always thought Wrex wasn’t scared of anything, but you did scare the hell out of him in this thing,” he grinned tapping the side of the damaged vehicle. 

“And did I scare you?” 

“Nah, maybe a little sick to the stomach, but that’s why I never ate before a mission,” he replied with mock seriousness. 

Shepard shook her head and chuckled as she climbed up the small hill, “Want to go sit in it, for old time’s sake?”

“You know, I just realized that this isn’t actually ‘our’ Mako. I remember you blowing it up while going through the conduit,” Garrus teased as he slipped inside the rover behind Shepard.

“Hey, it was either that or Saren taking control of the Citadel.” Shepard stayed silent for a moment before turning to Garrus. “Do you regret anything that we’ve done?”

Garrus looked at her for a moment and shook his head, “We did everything we could to save everyone that needed to be saved. We stopped Saren, Sovereign, and the Geth from taking control of the Citadel. We are now  
going to defeat the Collectors, and then the Reapers. I regret nothing.”

Shepard nodded and then ran her hand over the driving console. “Come on, we still have more area to cover.”

“Of course, and did I mention that it’s freezing out there?”

Shepard wanted to make a sassy comment about keeping him warm, but decided this wasn’t the best time.

“You survived Noveria, you can survive this,” she retorted.

“I still don’t like it.” Garrus teasingly pouted.

“Get moving,” Shepard laughed as she kicked him out of the Mako.

As Shepard stepped off the mound, Garrus held up a dog tag. “Silas Crosby.”

“Silas, another damn good solider,” Shepard frowned as she took the tag from Garrus. “He always was up early in the morning preparing the coffee.”

“If that boy wasn’t up making coffee or talking about women, he was down in the gym area working hard. I remember him telling me that he and Jenkins were pretty close. Sorry that I never had the opportunity to meet Jenkins.”

“Jenkins was a great solider, but he was always thrilled to go off and see action. Reminded me of that kid I stopped on Omega from going after you. But Silas, he was a very, how can I say this? He was a very determined solider, kind of like Ash.” Shepard placed the tag into the bag. “May your prophets be with you, Silas.” 

Garrus found another tag right across from the path where they had found Silas’s tag. “Harvey J. Gladstone.”

Shepard walked over to Garrus and looked at the silver tag. “Did you know the lieutenant well?”

“I knew a little bit about him. Was raised on Terra Nova, loved working with aliens. He liked hearing Wrex’s war stories; I think they became good friends.”

“Wait, Wrex actually made friends? That is actually kind of surprising,” she said, quirking a brow in surprise.

Garrus chuckled, “Yeah, Harvey was very interested in the genophage and really wanted to learn about it. He was a great nurse from what Dr. Chakwas told me, and he was very kind.” He watched as Shepard placed the  
tag into the bag. “May your spirit find peace, Harvey.”

Shepard and Garrus made their way around to a cliff’s edge, they found three more tags.  
“Marcus, Grieco.”

“I never knew Ensign Grieco,” Garrus stated. “He always hung out with Kaidan.”

“He was a biotic I think, an L2.”

“Probably why they both had so much in common. Except Marcus wasn’t an asshole,” he huffed.

Shepard looked up at Garrus. She knew the recent activities that happened on Horizon bothered him. She had seemed to have forgotten that not only Kaidan called her a traitor, but Garrus as well. She held his hand tightly and squeezed it. 

“Marcus was a very nice young man, wish I got to know him better.”

Garrus nodded as Shepard placed the tag into the bag. “Rest in Peace, Mark.”

Garrus read off the next name, “Germeen Barrett.” There was a moment of silence. “That girl loved the color green.”

Shepard cocked her head to the side. “What?”

Garrus paced. “I remember her coming up to me and asking me if we could paint the Mako green.”

Shepard laughed, “Really?”

“I told her no, Wrex told her yes, and Ashley said ‘hell yeah why the hell not.’ Luckily, the Alliance rules and regulations state that the mako had to stay white!”

“A green mako? Now that would have been something,” Shepard thought aloud, envisioning the color on the Mako.

“Would have matched the color of Wrex’s face, if you were driving…OUCH!” Garrus laughed as Shepard punched him.

“Watch it mister, or I will leave your frozen turian ass here,” she threatened teasingly.

Garrus chuckled as he ran his fingers over the tag. “She had a great personality, really do miss her. Rest in peace you green eyed angel. May you soar with the spirits.” Garrus placed the tag in the bag and then read off the last tag he had, “Hector Emerson.”

“An amazing scientist,” Shepard smiled.

“If I recall, he was the one that was trying to help cure the addiction of red sand.”

“He always wanted to help people the best way he knew how. His brother died of red sand overdose, and wanted to make sure no one went through what he did. He wanted to help cure the people who were addicted to it,” Shepard said sadly.

“Why was he on Normandy then?” Garrus asked, as he leaned up against some wreckage.

“Normandy was the best Alliance ship in the fleet. We could get materials that normal science vessels couldn’t. He wanted to serve on Normandy and do his best to help people. Hell, some of those materials we found  
on the uncharted worlds, like Nepheron, helped him quite a bit. Hopefully, one day there will be a cure for the red sand addicts. Rest in peace, Hector.”

Shepard placed the tag in the bag and sighed, “Let’s head over to the big wreckage over there.” As they walked to the wreckage, they both remained silent. It wasn’t until they reached the it that Shepard spoke, “This was the last place I saw Kaidan before I died.”

“You were here at the sleeping pods on the main console?” Garrus asked.

“Yeah, Adams had just informed me that some systems were being shut down and I was going to go see what was happening. A few moments after that, Normandy was engulfed in flames. Kaidan came running up behind me. I remember putting the helmet on, turning to him and seeing the worried look on his face.” Shepard took a step in to see the scorch damage. “I barely recognize it.”

As Shepard walked back to the console, Garrus picked up a tag and read the name in silence. He knew this was a moment for Shepard, and he wanted her to find the closure she needed. He would read the name after they left the wreckage. Shepard ran her hand over the darkened console. She remembered the heat of the fire, the sound of Kaidan’s voice, and the thought that went through her mind after finding out Joker was still in the cockpit. She felt a hand on her back and was so thankful that he was there. They didn’t say anything as they both silently left the wreckage.  
It was only a few moments before Garrus held out the tag. “Orden Laflamme,”

“Orden was good friends with Joker. I remember Orden sitting in the co-pilot chair laughing at Joker’s lame ass jokes. He had no family, was raised on the streets of Earth. He lied about his age and joined the Alliance at 17. When the Alliance found out, he was already a damn good solider, they let it slip by.”

“When we get back to the Normandy, maybe we can give Orden’s tag to Joker,” Garrus suggested.

Shepard nodded, liking the idea, “To Orden, Joker was his brother. Good idea, Garrus.”

Garrus placed the tag in the leather bag. “May the spirits grant you peace.”

Shepard saw another tag right away and picked it up from the frozen terrain. “Monica Negulesco.”

“Aww yes, Monica,” Garrus purred.

“What do you mean ‘awww Monica’?”

“She was the one that came down to see our beloved Requisitions Officer. I think she liked him.”

“Wait, are you saying that long legged, slim body, black hair, gorgeous woman was flirting with Adam Einstein, Normandy’s Requisition’s Officer?” she asked raising a brow in surprise.

“Yep!”

“Huh! Well, I’ be damned.”

“I overheard Adam saying one day that she smelled liked some sort of a plant called a lilac.”

“I really must have been out of the loop,” Shepard said as she placed her hand on her brow.

“Nah, you were just too busy saving the galaxy to notice.”

“Have you heard from Adam? He did make it off Normandy right?”

Garrus nodded. “I remember Tali telling me he did. I think he is onboard another ship selling his supplies.”

Shepard smiled as she looked down at the tag. “Miss Ensign Monica Negulesco,” she paused for a moment, “Rest in peace.”

Shepard and Garrus made their way over to another part of the wreckage, finding a tag along the way. “Robert Felawa.”

Garrus had to think for a moment. “Ensign Felawa, he was Normandy’s messhall chef.”

Shepard smiled, “I remember him making the best lasagna I had ever tasted.”

“I wouldn’t know. Although he tried really hard to make good food for Tali and I. A very kind person, and actually had a good sense of humor.”

“He somewhat reminds me of Rupert in away; funny, outgoing, not afraid to ask you to be the guinea pig in their creations.”

“Tali told me a story about when he and Silas got into an argument in the kitchen. Silas wanted to make coffee and Robert wanted to make breakfast. The argument turned into a full scale food fight. Luckily, I wasn’t a  
part of it.”

“A food fight? Where the hell was I?” Shepard laughed lightly. 

“You, Wrex and I were off world destroying bad guys.”

“I always miss the fun! And why do you hear about these things and I don’t?” she pouted.

Garrus chuckled, “Believe it or not, Kate… you can be quite scary.”

Shepard glared at him. “I’m not that scary.”

“You destroying a whole bunch of Geth, killing off every thresher maw we come across, killing pirates, blowing up buildings…nah, not scary at all,” he teased.

Shepard shook her head with a smile and then looked down at the tag. “I bet he is cooking up something really good in heaven. Maybe his famous lasagna?”

“I’m sure the angels and spirits are enjoying it.”

Shepard placed the tag into the bag, and continued the way over to the last bit of wreckage. As they approached it, they found two tags lying almost side by side each other. Garrus picked both of them up.

“Raymond Tanaka and Helen M. Lowe.”

Shepard grabbed both tags and watched as they intertwined together. “They were going to get married.”

“I thought that was against regulations.”

“No, they were engaged before they both came onboard Normandy. Raymond was a great navigator. I met him while I was a Lieutenant serving on the MSV Anchorage. Helen was a navigator as well, loved doing her job,  
but always kept to herself. The only time I really got to talk to her was when Mandi and I made her go out with us for a few drinks.”

“I never knew Helen very well, but Ray was always down in Engineering talking with Adams. I think their topic of choice was something called baseball,” Garrus said thoughtfully. 

Shepard nodded. “Ray always enjoyed playing baseball. He always went for the Redsocks…I personally am a Brave’s fan.”

“Baseball, perhaps you can show it to me sometime,” he suggested.

Shepard nodded and then smiled at the twisted tags, “May their spirits be intertwined forever.”

Shepard placed the tags into the bag and then took a deep breath.

Shepard recognized this final place as they entered the wreckage. It was the mess hall. The place where her and so many of her friends shared meals, birthday parties, even a midnight snack from time to time. As she stepped in, she saw a shining object and picked it up. She lowered her head as she read it. “Alexei Dubyansky.”

“Wasn’t she the one that always made fun of Joker’s beard?”

Shepard leaned heavily on and slid down one of the damaged bulkheads until she rested on the cold steel floor. 

“Yes, she always said he looked like a grizzly bear with that thing. I think she had a secret crush on him,” she paused, “She was Admiral Hackett’s niece,”

“His niece? I didn’t know that,” Garrus startled by this new piece of information as he sat down next to Shepard.

“It was a hush hush kind of thing. Lex wanted to join the Normandy, but was afraid she would be declined because of her uncle being the top Admiral in the Alliance Navy.”

“She got on though.”

“Yeah, Hackett called Anderson for the personal favor,” Shepard explained. 

“The Admiral’s niece onboard Normandy? That would have made us a target if it got around.”

“That’s why it was so hush hush. If the batarians knew or any other slave race, the Normandy could have been put at risk. But, as you well know, Anderson wasn’t going to let a little scare stop that from getting one of  
the best Communication Specialists onboard the Normandy.”

“Is that why Hackett asked you personally to come down here?” he asked gently.

“Probably, but also for my sake too. I need to have everything cleared away if we are going to defeat the collectors.”

Garrus carefully took the tag from Shepard’s hand and ran his hand over the tag. “I hope you find peace in the place you are happiest, Alexei.”

As Garrus placed the tag in the bag, he felt Shepard lean her head against his shoulder. He was happy to be here with her, to remember their fallen family.

“I miss her, Garrus,” she said; her voice barely a whisper.

It took only a moment to figure out who Shepard was talking about, but then he knew. 

“I miss her too, Shepard. I know leaving her on Virmire wasn’t easy,” he hummed, hoping to reassure her.

“Do you think she would have believed me? Would she have called me a traitor like Kaidan did?”

Garrus wrapped his arm around her and hugged her close. 

“Ashley was all about humanity. I know sure as hell she didn’t like me or Wrex for quite a while. I bet that if you explained to her what had happened, she would understand. We might hate Cerberus, but they’re looking out for humanity right now, and Ash probably would agree.”

“So why would Kaidan doubt me?” she asked, still confused by her former lover’s accusation. 

_Because he’s a jackass._ Garrus thought. 

“To be honest, Kate, I don’t know. He claimed that he loved you, yet called you a traitor. Told you were backstabbing the Alliance, when all we were doing was saving a colony from a collector invasion. Who knows what the hell goes on in that dumbass L2 brain of his? Perhaps it is the fact that we are teamed up with Cerberus. Maybe he took Admiral Kahoku’s death pretty hard and letting us remember he died by Cerberus hands. I…I honestly have no clue. But know this; I am here for you always. I won’t abandon you.”

Shepard sighed as she hugged her turian tighter. “I’m happy to hear that. Now, let’s get out of here, I don’t want to be here anymore.”

Garrus stood up from his spot and helped Shepard up. 

“Good, I’m freezing my ass off anyway, and need something warm to drink.”

As they headed back to the shuttle, Shepard made a detour and went to the memorial again, resting her hand against the base beneath the engraved words:

_So many names upon the wall,_  
and God’s arms hold them all.  
Fathers and sons, sisters too,  
died for the badge, died for the blue.  
Hopes and dreams died also that day,  
with their last breath such a sad price to pay.  
Though others will follow in their shoes,  
there’s room for them in God’s arms too.  
In God’s loving arms these heroes shall ever rest,  
their badges shining proudly upon their blue chests. 

_In loving memory of those who gave their lives onboard the SSV Normandy SR-1_

~The End


End file.
